http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2053#comment-269770
---Steve
Monday, November 24, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Power of Comedy: How a Simple Line From Comedian Hannibal Buress Reframed the Way America Sees Bill Cosby - The Interrobang
http://theinterrobang.com/simple-line-comedian-hannibal-buress-reframed-way-america-sees-bill-cosby/
"It's even worse because Bill Cosbyhas the fuckin' smuggest old black man persona that I hate," Buress said. "He gets on TV, 'Pull your pants up black people, I was on TV in the 80s! I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom!' Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches."
---Steve
Skeptic » Insight » Eine andere Welt
http://www.skeptic.com/insight/ein-anderen-welt/
Sadly, as the battles over health care showed, most Americans are not only completely unaware of how people in other countries live, but completely uninterested in learning anything from them as well. To most of the world with universal health care, it seemed truly bizarre that Americans were fighting over something which nearly all the rest of the developed world already has. Americans are now becoming notorious for their naive jingoism and insularity, and not knowing or caring about what the rest of the world is like.
---Steve
Sadly, as the battles over health care showed, most Americans are not only completely unaware of how people in other countries live, but completely uninterested in learning anything from them as well. To most of the world with universal health care, it seemed truly bizarre that Americans were fighting over something which nearly all the rest of the developed world already has. Americans are now becoming notorious for their naive jingoism and insularity, and not knowing or caring about what the rest of the world is like.
---Steve
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Midterm Turnout Decreased in All but 12 States - US News
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/11/05/midterm-turnout-decreased-in-all-but-12-states
Because turnout drops for midterm elections compared to presidential elections, it makes more sense to compare Tuesday's voter turnout to the last midterm elections in 2010. Turnout was less for eligible voters this time around: 36.6 percent voted, compared with 40.9 percent in 2010, according to data from the United States Elections Project.
---Steve
---Steve
Friday, November 07, 2014
Five Of The Craziest Conspiracy Theories That The Freshman Republican Class Will Bring To Congress | Right Wing Watch
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/five-conspiracy-theories-freshman-republican-class-will-bring-congress
So there you have it, in an election where pundits raved about establishment Republicans "crushing" Tea Party insurgents, it seems that the GOP establishment has simply appropriated the Tea Party's tarnished brand of paranoid politics and unmistakable extremism. - See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/five-conspiracy-theories-freshman-republican-class-will-bring-congress#sthash.XKqjIapi.dpuf
---Steve
So there you have it, in an election where pundits raved about establishment Republicans "crushing" Tea Party insurgents, it seems that the GOP establishment has simply appropriated the Tea Party's tarnished brand of paranoid politics and unmistakable extremism. - See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/five-conspiracy-theories-freshman-republican-class-will-bring-congress#sthash.XKqjIapi.dpuf
---Steve
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Climate change 'final warning' as IPCC report pushes for fossil fuel phase-out by 2100 - Climate Change - Environment - The Independent
www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/scientific-evidence-proves-climate-change-is-manmade-un-experts-conclude-9833748.html
This report shows that there is no real intellectual basis for denying the risks of climate change, and governments should be focused on how best to make the transition to low-carbon economic development and growth."
This report shows that there is no real intellectual basis for denying the risks of climate change, and governments should be focused on how best to make the transition to low-carbon economic development and growth."
---Steve
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Poll tax in Texas
Supreme Court allows Texas voter ID law
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/18/politics/texas-voter-id-law/index.html
---Steve
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/18/politics/texas-voter-id-law/index.html
---Steve
Friday, October 17, 2014
why_men_love_war
n wrote that war is the enduring condition of twentieth-century man. He was only partly right. War is the enduring condition of man, period. Men have gone to war over everything from Helen of Troy to Jenkins's ear. Two million Frenchmen and Englishmen died in muddy trenches in World War I because a student shot an archduke. The truth is, the reasons don't matter. There is a reason for every war and a war for every reason.
Scott Brown: We Wouldn’t Have Ebola If Mitt Was President | Wonkette
http://wonkette.com/563687/scott-brown-we-wouldnt-have-ebola-if-mitt-was-president
Why don't you leave the grown-ups to talk about how to deal with Ebola, and you can stick to what you know: hanging out with the young Republicans and giving free beer to the co-eds at the college tailgate parties, where the cool kids talk about the very issues you want to focus on,
Read more at http://wonkette.com/563687/scott-brown-we-wouldnt-have-ebola-if-mitt-was-president#3mxHHaQjfHtJA0sw.99
---Steve
Why don't you leave the grown-ups to talk about how to deal with Ebola, and you can stick to what you know: hanging out with the young Republicans and giving free beer to the co-eds at the college tailgate parties, where the cool kids talk about the very issues you want to focus on,
Read more at http://wonkette.com/563687/scott-brown-we-wouldnt-have-ebola-if-mitt-was-president#3mxHHaQjfHtJA0sw.99
---Steve
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
The idea that the Quran is God’s literal and most perfect word
We can continue to be in denial and claim that ISIS's ideology has nothing to do with Islam, hoping to dissuade the jihadis and silence the anti-Muslim bigots. Thing is, with the Quran at so many people's fingertips these days, neither the jihadis nor the anti-Muslim bigots are believing this anymore and we are simply hurting our own credibility.
If we want to really solve the problem and maybe even regain some credibility, we need leaders who are willing to put forth the idea that we have to change the way we regard the Quran. Treating the Quran as God's perfect and literal word to man is creating too much havoc.
Only when the notions of Quranic infallibility and inerrancy are challenged, will it be possible for believing Muslims to openly admit that according to literalist interpretations at least, violent and hateful passages exist in the Quran: passages that call for fighting those who don't believe in Allah, that support ISIS's ideology and help them recruit young Muslims like Aqsa Mahmood.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Tweet from Dan Wineman (@dwineman)
Friday, October 10, 2014
Thursday, October 09, 2014
Phyllis Schlafly: Obama Intentionally Bringing In Ebola To Make America More Like Africa | Right Wing Watch
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/phyllis-schlafly-obama-intentionally-bringing-ebola-make-america-more-africa
Phyllis Schlafly: Obama Intentionally Bringing In Ebola To Make America More Like Africa - See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/phyllis-schlafly-obama-intentionally-bringing-ebola-make-america-more-africa#sthash.EQ01xwzE.dpuf
---Steve
Phyllis Schlafly: Obama Intentionally Bringing In Ebola To Make America More Like Africa - See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/phyllis-schlafly-obama-intentionally-bringing-ebola-make-america-more-africa#sthash.EQ01xwzE.dpuf
---Steve
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Monday, October 06, 2014
Tweet from ZanDark Lorda Da Fif (@ZandarVTS)
 | ZanDark Lorda Da Fif (@ZandarVTS) |
RT @LOLGOP: Same-sex marriage. Now legal in every state where Mitt Romney owns a home. || Game, set, match | |
Download the official Twitter app here
---Steve
Slate: The Better Call Saul Music Video Is a Great Advertisement, but a Better Song
I thought you would like this article from The Slate Magazine for iPad
The Better Call Saul Music Video Is a Great Advertisement, but a Better Song
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/05/better_call_saul_music_video_watch_junior_brown_perform_the_breaking_bad.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/05/better_call_saul_music_video_watch_junior_brown_perform_the_breaking_bad.html
---Steve
Sunday, October 05, 2014
Friday, October 03, 2014
New Statesman | John Gray: is religion to blame for history’s bloodiest wars?
http://www.newstatesman.com/2014/09/lambs-slaughter
Conventional distinctions between religious and secular belief pass over the role that belief itself plays in our lives. "We are meaning-seeking creatures," Karen Armstrong writes wisely, "and, unlike other animals, fall very easily into despair if we fail to make sense of our lives." We are unlike our animal kin in another way. Only human beings kill and die for the sake of beliefs about themselves and the nature of the world. Looking for sense in their lives, they attack others who find meaning in beliefs different from their own. The violence of faith cannot be exorcised by demonising religion. It goes with being human.
---Steve
Conventional distinctions between religious and secular belief pass over the role that belief itself plays in our lives. "We are meaning-seeking creatures," Karen Armstrong writes wisely, "and, unlike other animals, fall very easily into despair if we fail to make sense of our lives." We are unlike our animal kin in another way. Only human beings kill and die for the sake of beliefs about themselves and the nature of the world. Looking for sense in their lives, they attack others who find meaning in beliefs different from their own. The violence of faith cannot be exorcised by demonising religion. It goes with being human.
---Steve
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Slate: Climate Science Is Settled Enough
I thought you would like this article from The Slate Magazine for iPad
---Steve
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
New Construction of Single Family Homes Picking up in Sedona
http://www.sedonafinehome.com/Housing-Starts.html
The cost of building new is now beginning to compete with the cost of buying an existing home. Prices of new homes ranging between $380,000 and $750,000 depending on size and finishes, have an average price per sqft of $260. By comparison, existing homes are listed at an average of $200/sqft.The economic case for building new versus buying an existing home becomes more compelling at the high end of the market as it commands higher prices per square foot.
---Steve
The cost of building new is now beginning to compete with the cost of buying an existing home. Prices of new homes ranging between $380,000 and $750,000 depending on size and finishes, have an average price per sqft of $260. By comparison, existing homes are listed at an average of $200/sqft.The economic case for building new versus buying an existing home becomes more compelling at the high end of the market as it commands higher prices per square foot.
---Steve
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Slate: Hitchcock’s Obsession With Eyes Gets a Great Supercut
I thought you would like this article from The Slate Magazine for iPad
Hitchcock's Obsession With Eyes Gets a Great Supercut
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/09/27/eyes_of_hitchcock_video_essay_kogonada_delivers_another_stunning_montage.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/09/27/eyes_of_hitchcock_video_essay_kogonada_delivers_another_stunning_montage.html
---Steve
Friday, September 26, 2014
WAKING UP: Chapter One : Sam Harris
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/chapter-one
Our minds are all we have. They are all we have ever had. And they are all we can offer others. This might not be obvious, especially when there are aspects of your life that seem in need of improvement—when your goals are unrealized, or you are struggling to find a career, or you have relationships that need repairing. But it's the truth. Every experience you have ever had has been shaped by your mind. Every relationship is as good or as bad as it is because of the minds involved. If you are perpetually angry, depressed, confused, and unloving, or your attention is elsewhere, it won't matter how successful you become or who is in your life—you won't enjoy any of it.
---Steve
Our minds are all we have. They are all we have ever had. And they are all we can offer others. This might not be obvious, especially when there are aspects of your life that seem in need of improvement—when your goals are unrealized, or you are struggling to find a career, or you have relationships that need repairing. But it's the truth. Every experience you have ever had has been shaped by your mind. Every relationship is as good or as bad as it is because of the minds involved. If you are perpetually angry, depressed, confused, and unloving, or your attention is elsewhere, it won't matter how successful you become or who is in your life—you won't enjoy any of it.
---Steve
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
'Boyhood' (R) | miami.com
http://www.miami.com/039boyhood039-r-article
Mason asks his father what life is all about, his dad replies "We're all just winging it. The good news is you're feeling stuff, you know? And you've got to hold on to that. You get older, and you don't feel as much, your skin gets tough." This remarkable, wonderful movie helps you remember.
---Steve
Mason asks his father what life is all about, his dad replies "We're all just winging it. The good news is you're feeling stuff, you know? And you've got to hold on to that. You get older, and you don't feel as much, your skin gets tough." This remarkable, wonderful movie helps you remember.
---Steve
Monday, September 15, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Best Story of the Day: Sarah Palin Clan Reportedly Involved in Huge Drunken Brawl - Little Green Footballs
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/43830_Best_Story_of_the_Day-_Sarah_Palin_Clan_Reportedly_Involved_in_Huge_Drunken_Brawl
The failed governor's hillbilly reality show continues...
---Steve
The failed governor's hillbilly reality show continues...
---Steve
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Sleepwalking Toward Armageddon : Sam Harris
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/sleepwalking-toward-armageddon
But it remains taboo in most societies to criticize a person's religious beliefs. Even atheists tend to observe this taboo, and enforce it on others, because they believe that religion is necessary for many people. After all, life is difficult—and faith is a balm. Most people imagine that Iron Age philosophy represents the only available vessel for their spiritual hopes and existential concerns. This is an enduring problem for the forces of reason, because the most transformative experiences people have—bliss, devotion, self-transcendence—are currently anchored to the worst parts of culture and to ways of thinking that merely amplify superstition, self-deception, and conflict.
Among all the harms caused by religion at this point in history, this is perhaps the most subtle: Even when it appears beneficial—inspiring people to gather in beautiful buildings to contemplate the mystery existence and their ethical commitments to one another—religion conveys the message that there is no intellectually defensible and nonsectarian way to do this. But there is. We can build strong communities and enjoy deeply moral and spiritual lives, without believing any divisive nonsense about the divine origin of specific books.
---Steve
But it remains taboo in most societies to criticize a person's religious beliefs. Even atheists tend to observe this taboo, and enforce it on others, because they believe that religion is necessary for many people. After all, life is difficult—and faith is a balm. Most people imagine that Iron Age philosophy represents the only available vessel for their spiritual hopes and existential concerns. This is an enduring problem for the forces of reason, because the most transformative experiences people have—bliss, devotion, self-transcendence—are currently anchored to the worst parts of culture and to ways of thinking that merely amplify superstition, self-deception, and conflict.
Among all the harms caused by religion at this point in history, this is perhaps the most subtle: Even when it appears beneficial—inspiring people to gather in beautiful buildings to contemplate the mystery existence and their ethical commitments to one another—religion conveys the message that there is no intellectually defensible and nonsectarian way to do this. But there is. We can build strong communities and enjoy deeply moral and spiritual lives, without believing any divisive nonsense about the divine origin of specific books.
---Steve
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Sunday, September 07, 2014
Saturday, September 06, 2014
Slate: Judge Posner’s Gay Marriage Opinion Is a Witty, Deeply Moral Masterpiece
I thought you would like this article from The Slate Magazine for iPad
Judge Posner's Gay Marriage Opinion Is a Witty, Deeply Moral Masterpiece
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/09/05/judge_richard_posner_s_gay_marriage_opinion_is_witty_moral_and_brilliant.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/09/05/judge_richard_posner_s_gay_marriage_opinion_is_witty_moral_and_brilliant.html
---Steve
Friday, September 05, 2014
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Victor Stenger, atheism's 'fifth horseman,' dies at 79 | The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/58369338-80/stenger-religion-science-atheism.html.csp
Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.
---Steve
Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.
---Steve
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Like A What???
http://www.bersachat.com/forums/showthread.php?28806-Like-A-What
When she tried to sing, it sounded like a walrus giving birth to farm equipment.
---Steve
When she tried to sing, it sounded like a walrus giving birth to farm equipment.
---Steve
Slate: The Science of Truthiness
I thought you would like this article from The Slate Magazine for iPad
---Steve
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Kinky
Saw this on a "Traces of Texas" FB post, immediately thought of your quote server: "There is a fine line between fiction and non-fiction, and I believe I snorted it in 1976."
----- Kinky Friedman
---Steve
----- Kinky Friedman
---Steve
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